Grachev Supports Yeltsin's Re-Election Bid

Moscow, May 23 (RFE/RL) - Russian Defense Minister Pavel Grachev has called for the re-election of President Boris Yeltsin.
Grachev made the comment yesterday in Yekaterinburg at a meeting
of officers from the Urals military district. He said that "only
Yeltsin is able to ensure that the started reforms are continued."
Grachev also said the majority of Russian officers associate
stability with Yeltsin's leadership.
Grachev's comments raise the question of the role the Russian
military vote will play in next month's presidential election.
Russia's laws prohibit any political propaganda within military units. It also bars commanders from urging their subordinates to vote for a particular party or a candidate.
But military analysts (anonymous) have told RFE/RL in Moscow that
they were not surprised by Grachev's comment. They said that Grachev
had also urged the Russian military to vote for the pro-governmental
bloc of Our Home - Russia at the parliamentary elections last
December.

The analysts also said Grachev's yesterday comments might have been
self-serving, marking his attempt to ingratiate himself with Yeltsin
to avert possible dismissal in case the president is re-elected.
Grachev dismissal has been widely predicted in the Russian press.
The Russian military cast their ballots at the same polling
stations as civilians, except for a few bases and units based outside
Russia. It is still difficult to predict which candidate will gain
their support.